Ragnarok
by Connorgetaways
Summary: When Shinra is attacked by an unknown enemy, Private Cloud Strife gets roped into acting as an ambassador for the Company. Or, the story of how Cloud Strife is actually a Viking.
1. Native Language

"I really don't think a Tonberry can be red, Zack."

"I'm telling you, man, it was definitely a red Tonberry! It was so weird!"

"Are you sure you weren't just high on mako fumes?"

"...Maybe."

Cloud breathed a laugh and poked at the sludge that the Infantry cafeteria considered food, making a face at the disgusting squelching noise the food made. He slid the tray away from him with one finger, suddenly losing his appetite. Across the table from him, Zack had his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm and a sympathetically amused look on his face.

"They're still serving that gruel, huh?"

"Yeah."

Cloud was not sure why Zack was sitting with him in the infantry cafeteria. He was a SOLDIER 2nd Class, he was above both this place and him, and yet he was here.

He had met Zack a month ago, when Zack was sent on a simple monster hunt that had somehow ended up with the monsters hunting him instead, something that would probably happen only to Zack.

Cloud had been on a routine patrol in Sector 8 when he spotted Zack fighting a Behemoth that had wandered above ground. Normally, Cloud would have let the SOLDIER handle it but he had spotted three other Behemoths skulking in an alley, about to ambush Zack. He had shouted a warning to him and tried to pick them off with his rifle. Cloud was never good with a gun (Ironic, considering it was the only kind of weapon issued to infantry) but he had somehow managed to save Zack's back from being clawed.

Zack had become an almost constant companion ever since.

"Strife!" A voice called from the cafeteria doors behind him and Cloud turned in his seat to look at the voice's owner, a fellow trooper, "Ya got a phone call."

Cloud nodded in affirmation and stood from his chair, picking up the tray to throw the disgusting gruel in the bin on his way out.

"Girlfriend?" Zack asked with a sly look as he pushed himself to his feet as well.

Cloud ducked his head to hide a blush and shook his head in the negative, his blond spikes swaying with the motion, "Probably my mom."

Zack perked up, "Mamma Chocobo? Can I say hi?"

Cloud chuckled quietly as he placed his now empty tray on the stack and shrugged, "Sure."

"Yes!" Zack pumped his fist in Victory.

When they reached the phone bank, Cloud exchanged greetings with the trooper on duty behind the desk, who hurriedly stood to salute Zack, and walked over to a booth. He waited to receive the signal before picking up the receiver.

"Cloud?" His mother's voice sounded in his ear and he smiled.

"_Hej mor._"

Zack tilted his head with a weird look on his face but Cloud ignored it.

"How are you, _valp_? Have you been looking after yourself?"

Cloud huffed, "I'm fine, _Mor_. How have you been?"

"_Bra_. Spring is coming back around now so I was thinking of trying my hand at gardening. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

Zack suddenly leaned forward and yelled near the phone receiver, "Hi, Mrs. Strife!"

There was a moment of silence before his mother spoke again, "Who was that?"

"Uh, that's my friend Zack." Cloud replied, watching Zack hold his hand out for the phone and opened and closed it impatiently in a silent request for the phone, "He wants to talk to you."

"Oh?" A pause, "Nothing bad, is it?" She asked cautiously.

"_Nej, Mor_. He just wants to meet you, that's all."

"Hand him the phone, then!"

Cloud sighed and held out the phone to Zack, who took the receiver from him with a grin.

"Hello?... Zack Fair, SOLDIER Second Class, ma'am! ... Huh? Oh! I met him...I think it was a month ago?" Zack glanced at Cloud for confirmation and received a nod, "Yeah, a month ago. Your son saved my hide. Literally. You should be really proud!"

Cloud looked away, fighting down the heat flushing his cheeks at the compliment.

"Do I get to hear baby Cloud stories? ... Ooooh pictures! Even better!" He grinned at Cloud who glared at him in return.

"Sure, I'll look after Cloud for you." He agreed, "I'll give the phone back to Spikey now. It was nice talking to you, Mrs. Strife!"

Zack handed the phone back to Cloud with a wink and Cloud rolled his eyes as he raised the phone back to his ear.

"_Ja_?"

"_He sounds nice._" His mother commented in their own language.

"_He is._" He replied in kind.

She laughed, "Spikey?"

"_A nickname. I told him to stop calling me that but he won't listen_."

"_He said you saved his life?"_

"_He exaggerates, he probably been fine without me. He was going to be attacked by some monsters and I warned him and managed to distract some of them with my gun."_

Zack tilted his head curiously, watching him intently.

"_Still having trouble with aiming?_" His mother deduced.

"_I hate guns._"

His mother laughed, "_Don't worry, valp. You'll get used to them eventually. Go have fun with your friend. I'll call you in two weeks._"

Cloud hummed in agreement, "_I love you_, _Mor._"

"_Love you too, Cloud._"

He hung up the phone and turned to leave the phone bank with Zack falling in line with him.

"What language was that?"

"Hm?"

"That language you spoke to your mom in? What's it called?"

Cloud frowned and shook his head slightly, spikes swaying, "I'm not sure if it even has a name. It's really old and people rarely speak it now or even know it exists. My mom and dad came from families that spoke it, so she made sure to teach me."

Zack scratched the back of his neck with a mildly confused expression, "Huh. That's a little weird. That's really cool though! It's like a secret language. Very mysterious."

Cloud chucked, "If you say so."

* * *

"Gentlemen, I'm glad you could make it."

"Of course, Director." Angeal said as he took a seat across from Tseng along with Sephiroth and Genesis.

"What is this about? I have things to do." Genesis drawled lazily, propping his ankle on his knee.

"We have received reports of some attacks on Shinra outposts in the North Corel area." Lazard informed them, "Several troopers stationed in North Corel were K.I.A. and the base was ransacked."

All three SOLDIERs looked up sharply, straightening up in their chairs, and Genesis' foot dropped back to the floor.

"What." Sephiroth said flatly, his tone icy.

"Wutai?" Genesis demanded.

"No, these were definitely not Wutainese warriors." Tseng replied, he picked up a stack of three folders from the table and passed them to the SOLDIERs. The photo attached to the file was a blurry screenshot from a security camera of five (and a half, if you counted the one cut off on the edge of the picture) tall, muscular, fair haired warriors brandishing swords, old fashioned shields and battle axes.

"They're not with AVALANCHE?" Angeal asked.

"That is unlikely." Lazard spoke up from the head of the table.

"Who are they, then?"

Tseng shook his head, "Unknown."

"Where did they come from?"

"Unknown."

"Do we know what they wanted?" It was Sephiroth who spoke this time.

"Unknown."

Genesis snarled, "What do we know, then?"

"Right now?" Lazard shrugged, "Nothing."

* * *

A/N :

Ja - Yes  
Mor - Mother  
Nej - No  
Velp - Pup/Puppy  
Bra - Good

I don't actually speak any of the Scandinavian languages so if I write something wrong, please feel free to correct me!  
The italicized text is supposed to be for conversations in Nordic

Also, this story is gen mainly because i want to focus on Cloud being a badass and partly because i couldn't decide on a pairing but if you really want there to be a pairing (like really _really_ want a pairing), let me know which one you prefer and the one that gets the most requests will become the pairing for this fic.

Let me know what you guys think!


	2. Bull's eye

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate the feedback!

I would have been ok with adding a pairing but i'm so glad everyone seems to agree that this story should be gen! So, I will officially be writing this pairing free :)

* * *

Zack took a bite out of his chocolate bar, chewing loudly and propping his feet up on Angeal's desk. Angeal looked up briefly to glare at Zack over his monitor for putting his boots on the furniture before going back to staring at the screen. Sephiroth and Genesis, meanwhile, had not spared him a look, their eyes riveted to whatever it was they were studying.

Zack watched them for a while as he ate the rest of his chocolate bar. Sephiroth was standing to one side of Angeal with his arms crossed. Genesis was on the other side, leaning forward with one hand on the desk to glare at the monitor with such intensity that Zack was sure it would combust into flames.

"What are you watchin' anyway?" He asked casually, shoving the last piece of chocolate in his mouth.

Angeal sighed and leaned back in his chair to rub at his eyes, "Security footage from an attack on the North Corel base."

Zack sat up slightly, "There was an attack on the North Corel base?"

Sephiroth nodded distractedly, "Yesterday."

Zack stood up and rounded the desk to join them. The screen was split into four camera angles in black and white. All four of them where showing several men and two women that were wiping the floor with Shinra infantry and quite a few SOLDIER thirds with swords and battle axes. One trooper got a sword through his chest that was ripped out with more violence than was necessary and Zack's heart clenched painfully at the thought of his friend in the dead trooper's shoes.

"Who are these guys?" Zack asked, his tone uncharacteristically grim.

Genesis snorted.

"Unknown." he drawled, earning an elbow in the ribs from Angeal. Zack cocked his head at their strange exchange but let it slide.

"Why is the video muted?" He asked instead, when the fighting died down and the warriors on the screen looked like they were discussing something while they sacked the camp.

Angeal shrugged slightly, "It wouldn't really matter much anyway, they're talking in another language."

"Another language? Can I hear it?"

Angeal did not reply but he reached forward to press a button on the keyboard and the sound came back on.

There were a few moments of silence while they listened to the strangers talk before Zack exclaimed, "Hey! I've heard that language before!"

They finally looked up from the footage to stare at him.

"You have?"

Zack nodded.

"Where?" Sephiroth demanded.

Zack got the distinct impression that he was now talking to General Sephiroth and not his mentor's friend. When Genesis straightened from where he had been hunched over the desk, Zack slid into parade rest with his hands behind his back and his feet apart.

"My friend, Cloud Strife, Sir." He reported dutifully, "I had lunch with him a couple of days ago and he got a phone call from his mother. I tagged along when he went to answer the call and they talked to each other for a bit in a language that sounds a lot like that one."

"Isn't that the trooper you mentioned before?" Angeal questioned, "The boy that helped you on that mission in Sector 8 last month?"

"Yup, that's the one!" he replied cheerfully.

Genesis turned to the other two, "He might be a spy giving them intel."

"Cloud is not a spy!" Zack snapped.

Genesis looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, "How can you be sure?"

"Because he's my friend! You don't think I would notice if my friend is acting shady?"

Genesis scoffed, "I doubt you could notice anything if you tried."

"Hey!"

"That was uncalled for, Genesis." Angeal scolded.

"Enough." Sephiroth stepped forward, "Zackary, do you vouch for Private Strife's character?"

"Yes, Sir. Absolutely." Zack did not even hesitate.

Angeal stood from his seat, "We could bring him in as a translator." He suggested, "He might give us a lead."

Sephiroth nodded in agreement, "I was considering the same thing."

"You have got to be joking." Genesis snarled.

"I will request a background check from Tseng, if that will satisfy you, Genesis."

Genesis threw his hands up in frustration, "Whatever. Do what you want. But if this kid turns out to be on their side then don't say I didn't warn you."

He turned to leave the office in typical Genesis Rhapsodos fashion, with a dramatic flare of his red coat and a Loveless verse thrown over his shoulder.

"_All that awaits you is a somber morrow,_

_No matter where the winds may blow._"

* * *

Cloud really hates guns.

They did not sit right in his hands. The balance was off, the way you had to hold them felt wrong. He did not feel comfortable with long range weapons. A gun could never make his blood sing like a blade could.

He had been a little too rebellious about Shinra's teachings about tactics in his first year and it had cost him his promotion to SOLDIER, something he regretted now that he knew he was stuck with firearms for the rest of his career. His commanding officers had no patience for his short temper and, apparently, they had the connections to make sure he never made it to the ranks of SOLDIER no matter how many times he reapplied.

He had come to Midgar with grand ideas of heroism and honour, shaped by Shinra propaganda and coming all the way to Midgar to join Shinra had only proved to be a disappointment. The only thing that kept him there was a stubborn determination to prove himself.

Cloud let out a frustrated huff, pushing the button on the side of his rifle to release the empty clip and swapped it out for a loaded one.

Sergeant Dunn squinted at Cloud's practice dummy.

"You call that aiming, Blondie?" He barked, "A six year old can do better than that!"

Cloud growled under his breath and raised the rifle to aim at the dummy again. He took a deep breath and tuned everything out, forcing his shoulders to relax.

He exhaled and murmured a quiet prayer.

"_Fenrir, guide me to my prey._"

He pulled the trigger and the bullet struck the dummy right between what would have been eyes on a real person.

Private Matthews let out a low whistle from a few paces to his right, "Shiva's tits, Cloud! Talk about a lucky shot!"

Sergeant Dunn staunchly refused to acknowledge Cloud's achievement. Instead, he chose to check his watch. "Alright, time's up! Get your asses out of here!" He shouted, waving his hand angrily towards the exit.

As the troopers were putting away their equipment, the door to the firing range slid open with a hydraulic hiss to let in two men in blue suits. The chatter among the troopers died down at the sight of them, as it normally did when Turks or a high ranking SOLDIER was in the vicinity. One of the Turks, a man with shockingly red hair in a rat tail, swaggered over to the Sergeant.

"Can I help you with something?" Sergeant Dunn actually managed to sound polite. What a novel experience.

"I'm lookin' for a Cloud Strife. He here?"

Cloud almost started at the unexpected use of his name. Why would the Turks be looking for him? He didn't remember doing anything that would warrant their attention.

A sour look flashed across the Sergeant's face before he jerked his head in Cloud's direction. "The blond one over there."

The redhead grinned amiably and clapped the Sergeant on the shoulder, "Thanks, yo."

The redhead and his bald partner approached Cloud.

"Cloud Strife?" the bald one asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"Your presence is required in Director Lazard's office on the SOLDIER floor. We are meant to escort you."

Cloud nodded slowly, eyeing them warily as he placed gun he had been holding on a table.

"Lead the way, Sir."


	3. Mission Start

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm really glad you all like the story so far :)

* * *

Zack was practically vibrating in his seat beside Angeal. His leg was bouncing restlessly under the table and his fingers were drumming against the table loudly, the constant motion sending ripples through Angeal's coffee.

Angeal sighed, "Zack, please relax."

"I can't!" He blurted loudly, almost startling Angeal and causing the discussion across the meeting table to quiet down. Zack sent the others an apologetic look and they turned back to their conversation.

"Sorry, Angeal." He apologized in a quieter voice than before, "It's just...I don't feel comfortable with Sephiroth and the others interrogating Spike."

Angeal frowned, "They're not going to interrogate him, Zack. We just want some questions answered."

Zack sighed explosively, "I know but-!"

The hiss of the doors opening interrupted whatever Zack was going to say. The discussion between Lazard, Sephiroth and Tseng immediately fell silent.

When Cloud Strife stepped through the door to Lazard's office, Angeal understood why Zack was so protective of him.

The boy was young. He looked like he was barely old enough to be in the infantry but he knew that wasn't true. He was not remarkably short or unhealthily skinny but his svelte form and his delicate features made him look fragile, even more so now that he had frozen just inside the office, vibrant blue eyes wide at the unexpected presence of Shinra's highest ranking officers.

And then all at once, he recovered from his surprise and the vulnerable look completely disappeared. His eyes, once wide like a startled Chocobo, narrowed with sharp intelligence and a stoicism that could match Sephiroth's.

The boy marched into the room to stand beside Lazard's desk while Reno and Rude took up positions by the door and saluted sharply.

"Private Strife reporting for duty, Sir." Angeal noted that his voice was soft but there was steel there. Good.

Lazard smiled, "At ease, Private. You're not in trouble."

Cloud relaxed slightly, going into parade rest, and his stoic expression lessened enough for some emotion to return. He looked mildly curious now, albeit still cautious.

Lazard stood from his seat behind the desk and offered his hand for Cloud to shake, "It's good to meet you, Private. Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER."

Typical Lazard, charming everyone into a sense of security.

A look of confusion flashed across the Private's face before he hesitantly took the proffered hand and shook it. Lazard looked like he expected Cloud to say something but the boy kept silent and the wary look did not dissipate.

"You must be wondering why you're here." Lazard continued, "Please take a seat beside SOLDIER Fair and all will be explained." Lazard said, his hand gesturing to the empty chair to Zack's right.

Cloud nodded, fluffy spikes bobbing with the motion and, as the boy moved to pass behind Angeal's back to sit on Zack's other side, Angeal caught the bewildered look he sent Zack and the sheepish look Zack sent him in return.

When Cloud was seated, Sephiroth spoke up from his own seat on the other side, "Private Strife."

Cloud's back straightened rigidly, "Yes, Sir."

"SOLDIER Fair has mentioned that you speak another language. Is this correct?"

Cloud shot a glance at Zack, who was slouching in his chair with a guilty look on his face, "...That is correct, Sir."

"What is this language called?"

"It doesn't have a name, Sir. Not that I know of anyway."

"General," Lazard intervened, "Perhaps we should explain the situation first."

Sephiroth sat back in his chair and looked away. To anyone else he looked like he was simply allowing Lazard to handle things but to someone like Angeal, who knew Sephiroth well, he knew the Hero of Wutai was actually sulking.

"There have been several attacks on Shinra outposts in the last few days with a number of casualties." Lazard explained, "We have been investigating these attacks but we have been having difficulties locating the offenders and even further difficulties understanding their motives. We were hoping you might be able to help us with that."

"What can I do to help, Sir?" The boy inquired, but he looked like he already knew what he would have to do.

"The attackers spoke a language that, according to SOLDIER Fair, sounds similar to yours. Would you be willing to translate?"

Cloud considered it for a brief moment before nodding, "I will do what I can, Sir."

Lazard smiled, "Excellent!" He nodded at Tseng and the Turk took it from there. He pulled himself closer to the table and used a console to bring up the footage on the glass walls that doubled as screens.

"This footage was from an outpost in North Corel." Tseng informed the Private as the video began to play. When the footage reached the actual dialog, Cloud's eyebrows shot up before dropping into a thoughtful frown, listening intently. When the video cut off, Sephiroth turned to him.

"Did you understand what they were saying?"

"I did, Sir."

"Do you know who they are?"

Cloud nodded slowly, "Yes, Sir. They're Nords from _Skáney_."

"Huh? Skawnay? Where is that?" Zack blurted again, obviously incapable of keeping quiet for long, although he did manage to last longer than usual and he did ask a good question, one that Angeal was about to ask, himself.

Cloud let out an amused huff at the butchering of the word and smiled fondly at his friend, "The _Skáney_ are Islands to the North of the Western Continent."

Lazard leaned forward with his elbows on his desk, clearly fascinated, "I've never heard of these Islands before. Have you, Tseng?"

Tseng shook his head, "No. They are not on any map belonging to Shinra or Wutai that I have seen."

"They wouldn't be." Cloud told him with a shake of his head, "They're really far to the North and the Nords haven't come down south since at least a century before Shinra was even founded."

"Then how did you come by this knowledge, Private?" Sephiroth questioned, somewhat skeptical.

Cloud's eyes locked with Sephiroth's and, remarkably, did not waver, "My ancestors are from there, Sir. My great-something grandparents migrated south a few centuries ago. My mother told me all about them just like her parents told her."

"That is very interesting but we will have to revisit the topic later." Lazard sat up in his chair and straightening the stack of files on his desk. "Do you know what is it they want, Private?"

Cloud shook his head slightly, "It's unclear, Sir. There's something they're trying to find and they seem to think you have it," he shrugged helplessly, "but they didn't mention what it was."

Lazard sighed in disappointment, "Very well." He considered Cloud for a moment before making a decision, "Private Strife, you are hereby promoted to Specialist and reassigned to this investigation." Cloud's startled Chocobo look made a comeback, "You will be going to the North Corel outpost under Commander Hewley's command." Angeal looked up sharply at the mention of his name, surprised by the news, but he nodded his acquiescence when Lazard gave him a pointed look. "SOLDIER Fair will also be accompanying you."

Zack perked up and hooked an arm around Cloud's neck to yank him into an awkward half hug across the gap between their chairs, "Do you hear that, Spikey?! We'll be working together!"

Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully, "I believe I would like to join the investigation as well, Director."

Angeal raised an eyebrow at this. Sephiroth usually preferred to keep to himself when he was not ordered to lead a mission. Either he considered this investigation a truly challenging puzzle worth solving or Strife had impressed him enough that he was curious.

Lazard was quiet for a moment before nodding, "Alright. However, if a more pressing mission comes up, I would have to call you back."

"That is acceptable." Sephiroth agreed.


	4. Tyr

After the surreal meeting on the SOLDIER floor, Cloud was promptly ordered by the General to pack his things for the trip to North Corel immediately and meet them on the helipad in exactly thirty minutes before being sent on his way.

He made his way through the barracks in a daze, still processing the fact that he had finally gotten himself a promotion. After two long years of being picked on by his COs and overlooked by the higher ups, he was finally getting closer to his goals. Granted, it was a small step but he was finally getting somewhere, even though he had gotten there in the most unexpected way.

The barracks were always relatively empty at this hour. Most of his fellow infantry were most likely getting hopelessly drunk below the plate on their off duty hours. It was not a past time he particularly enjoyed, not because he did not enjoy drinking - on the contrary, Cloud had been allowed to drink from a very young age and could hold his liquor well - but because he simply did not appreciate the disgusting brews they served in Midgar.

When he reached his bunk, the lower part of a double, Cloud dropped into a crouch to pull his duffle bag from under his bed and flung it onto the mattress with a thud, pulling the zipper open.

"Hey, Cloud! What happened, man? Are they kicking you out?"

Cloud looked up at his bunk mate, Markus, who was peering down at him from where he was leaning over the side of the bed, looking more concerned than Cloud would have expected.

"No." Cloud murmured, keeping his voice low so the others would not overhear as he threw a change of clothes into the duffel, "I got promoted. I've been assigned to a mission." Cloud felt a swell of pride in his chest as he said the words. _Finally_.

"You got promoted?!" Markus almost shouted, his voice going up a few octaves and it was loud enough to alert the room's few occupants.

"What? Cloud got promoted?" Roberts asked.

"Good going, Cloud!" Matthews called out to him and the others yelled out similar sentiments. Cloud used the excuse of shoving his supplies deeper into his duffel bag to duck his head and hide his flushed cheeks.

"Thanks." He said simply. To their credit, his colleagues did not appear offended by his curt reply, they were likely used to his personality by now.

"So where are you going?" Markus asked.

"North Corel."

"Are you a Corporal now?"

He shook his head, "Specialist."

"Really? That's awesome!" Matthews exclaimed.

"Who's your CO?" It was Roberts' voice this time.

Cloud hesitated, unsure if he could share that information. Then again, Lazard had only asked him to keep quiet about the attacks on the outposts, not his promotion or who his CO was.

"Commander Hewley." He answered at length, deciding to leave out the part where Sephiroth decided to join them.

"What?!"

"Are you shitting me?"

"Odin's balls, Cloud! You're going on a mission with a First?"

Cloud inwardly cringed at the blasphemy, "Yeah." He confirmed, zipping up his duffel.

"Are you leaving now?"

Cloud nodded.

"How long will you be gone for?"

Cloud shrugged, pulling the duffel's strap over his shoulder, "No idea."

"Well," Markus hopped down from his bunk, "We have to celebrate when you come back. Wanna go out drinking with us below plate when you're back?" He suggested, giving Cloud a companionable punch on the shoulder.

Cloud smirked at him and turned to leave, shifting the duffel's strap that had almost slipped off his shoulder, "Not interested."

Their laughter followed him out of the barracks.

* * *

He made it to the helipad with five minutes to spare. Sephiroth was already there, standing by the helicopter with a PHS to his ear and his silver hair whipping around his body with the force of the wind from the helicopter's spinning propellers. The General flipped the PHS shut as Cloud approached him and turned to meet Cloud's salute with a nod of approval.

"I just spoke to an officer stationed in North Corel." Sephiroth informed him, his deep voice somehow carrying easily without having to shout over the noise of the helicopter, "He reported that there were two Nord casualties. The bodies have already evaporated but their clothes and weapons have been left behind and should provide us with more information. I have ordered them to disturb the evidence as little as possible."

Cloud nodded in understanding.

Sephiroth gestured regally towards the duffel hanging from Cloud's shoulder, "You should load that into the cargo compartment. We will be leaving once the others arrive."

"Yes, Sir."

With another salute, Cloud went to do just that. Commander Hewley and Zack arrived just as he finished securing the duffel into the compartment.

"Spike!" Zack called, making his way to Cloud with a bounce in his step, "Guess what!"

"Sorry we're late." Angeal apologized to Sephiroth, raising his voice above the wind.

Cloud smiled at his friend's enthusiasm, "What, Zack?"

Zack hooked his arm around Cloud's neck and ruffled his hair, making Cloud scowl and reach up to try and flatten his unruly spikes, "Angeal has a gift for you!"

"What?" Cloud blinked, pausing his attempts to tame his hair to look towards the commander, who, sure enough, had a box propped under his arm. Angeal smiled and presented the box to him.

"A PHS." He explained as Cloud took the box from him, "You should have a way to stay in easy contact with us for this mission. I took the liberty of programming it with our numbers. You also have my permission to call your mother from it."

Cloud was stunned for a moment before gratitude flooded his chest, "Thank you, Commander." He managed say, heartfelt.

Angeal's smile widened, "Call me Angeal, please."

Cloud nodded with a soft smile of his own, "Thank you, Angeal."

"You're welcome."

"We should go. We're burning daylight." Sephiroth told them, and they climbed into the helicopter.

Cloud was given a pair of headphones to block out the roar of the helicopter. It was equipped with a built in microphone so he could speak to the others. Zack sat next to him and pulled Cloud's PHS out of the box, helping him set up an email before showing him all the features on the device. Cloud listened intently as Zack prattled on about mission reports and Shinra message boards for about half an hour before Zack started talking about the Silver Elite, at which point Cloud heard a heavy sigh through his headset. He glanced up to find a mildly amused Angeal and an irritated Sephiroth.

"Specialist Strife does not require information on that particular subject, SOLDIER Fair."

"Sorry, General." Sephiroth only hummed in reply.

"Cloud." Angeal called from his seat by the window.

Cloud looked up from his PHS, "Yes, Sir?"

"You said your mother and father are Nords?" He asked, his tone curious.

"Yes, Sir. So am I."

"Zack tells me you're from Nibelheim?" A nod from Cloud, "I confess I have never been there before."

Cloud sniggered, "There's nothing there worth visiting, Sir. Just a small town with a haunted mansion and a rusty Mako reactor."

"It's the same with all reactor towns, right Spiky?" Zack joked, bumping Cloud with his shoulder.

Cloud laughed, "Yeah."

Angeal chuckled with them.

"Must be nice, having a home town." Sephiroth commented. His tone was strange and distant, but Cloud thought he detected sadness in his eyes.

Cloud felt something akin to pity for the General. He knew the man practically grew up in the military, without any real family. There were rumours, ones that Cloud tried not to listen to, that Sephiroth was the son of Professor Hojo, a creepy scientist that always looked like he had not showered in weeks and was undoubtedly a sadist. Cloud shuddered to think of any child at the hands of that man.

Cloud was not open and friendly like Zack was. He was hot tempered, blunt and he disliked being touched by anyone who was not his mother, but he resolved to befriend the General, if only to make up for the possibility of that psychopath as his father.

"Home towns are overrated," Cloud replied with a shrug, "The village was boring and the villagers were rude and superstitious."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, "Superstitious?"

"They thought my mother and I were witches or something." Cloud told him, smirking.

Zack let out a startled laugh, "Whaaaat? You? A witch?"

Cloud nodded, "Weird, right?"

Angeal was laughing too, "Why would they think that?"

_Because they've seen that the gods are on our side and they fear us for it_, Cloud thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "Who knows." with a secretive smile and another shrug of his shoulders.

"I suppose I can sympathize." Angeal mused, "Genesis and I came from Banora, a small town like yours, and we were treated with suspicion too."

"Where is Genesis, anyway?" Zack asked.

"Wutai." Sephiroth informed him.

"Oh yeah," Zack deflated, "I forgot about that."

Cloud huffed an incredulously, "Zack! How can you forget about the war?"

Zack laughed nervously, his gloved hand coming up to rub the back of his neck in a self conscious gesture.

There was a crackle in his headset and another voice joined them, "ETA five minutes, yo."

"Roger that." Angeal replied.

Sure enough, the helicopter landed safely in five minutes. As they stepped out of the chopper, Cloud noticed the pilot was the red haired Turk that picked him of from training earlier and the copilot was his grim partner.

They were met on the helipad by a man in a SOLDIER uniform with a Second's purple sleeveless turtleneck. He saluted the General and Commander sharply.

"Sirs!"

"Kunsel, man, you didn't tell me you were sent to North Corel!" Zack exclaimed, clearly familiar with the SOLDIER.

"Hey, Zack. Sorry I didn't mention it, it was kind of abrupt. I got here a day before the attack." The SOLDIER, Kunsel, explained with an easy smile visible from under the helmet that obscured the rest of his features.

"Take us to the evidence, SOLDIER." Sephiroth commanded coolly.

"Yes, Sir. Follow me."

Kunsel lead the way, keeping an easy conversation with Zack while Cloud and the others followed in silence.

"This is it, Sirs." Kunsel announced, pointing towards two piles of clothes lying on dried pools of blood in the middle of the camp.

Sephiroth gave Cloud a pointed look and stepped forward to inspect the remains. Cloud followed, crouching down to pick up a sword that had broken off a few inches from the guard. Nord swords were made of steel, but Cloud knew that Nord steel did not stand a chance against Shinra's reinforced steel. Cloud held the sword in his hand, testing the feel of the grip, when he felt something rough against his palm. He shifted his hold until he was able to see what it was.

It was a rough carving, likely done with a knife. He recognized the rune immediately.

"What does the symbol mean?"

Cloud was proud of himself for not jumping at how unexpectedly close the Commander's voice was. Suddenly, he was aware of the man looming behind him, peering over his shoulder at the broken blade he held in his hands.

He took in a deep breath, trying to control the urge to shy away from the proximity lest he offend the commander.

"It's _Tyr_'s symbol."

Sephiroth looked up sharply from inspecting a bloody embroidered shirt, "Who is this _Tyr_?" He demanded, "Is he their leader?"

Cloud's lips twitched up in a privately amused smile, slightly impressed that Sephiroth managed to pronounce the name correctly.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Cloud nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Angeal backed away to go stand beside Sephiroth.

"_Tyr_ is one of our gods." Cloud continued, spinning the blade idly between his fingers, "The god of war to be exact."

"Wait, you have gods? plural?" Zack shrilled.

Cloud chuckled, "Yes, we have quite a few."

Kunsel's PHS suddenly went off, attracting their attention. Kunsel excused himself and stepped away to answer the call.

Sephiroth came closer to Cloud to examine the rune on the grip of the sword, "What is the significance of having the symbol on a weapon?"

Cloud shrugged, "Nothing really special. It's a promise to _Tyr_."

"A promise of what, exactly?" Angeal asked slowly, his tone cautious.

"A promise that everything this sword slays is a sacrifice made in _Tyr_'s honour."

Angeal frowned and Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully. The general opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by Kunsel's return.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but that was HQ. There was another attack."

"Where?" Angeal questioned.

"Costa Del Sol."

Sephiroth stalked silently passed the SOLDIER Third, back in the direction of the helipad.

Angeal made to leave as well with Zack close behind, "Let's move out."

Cloud looked down at the remains and sighed.

"_May you find your way to Valhalla, my kinsmen._" He whispered, gently placing the broken blade on the crumpled clothes before following his superiors to the helipad.


	5. Thor

**A/N:** ! WARNING ! This chapter contains violence and blood. just FYI.

Also, I'm really sorry this took so long but i was suffering from a writer's block. I'm over it now so expect some more updates soon!

* * *

"You will stay here, Specialist."

"What? But, Sir, -!"

Sephiroth gave him a sharp look, "You will stay here, Specialist." He repeated firmly, effectively shutting him down.

Cloud's hands clenched into fists at his sides as he watched Angeal pull the cabin door open for them to jump. Sephiroth jumped first, gracefully and with his hair whipping around him like serpents, without so much as a backwards glance.

"Close the door behind us." Angeal instructed the blond just before he followed. Zack paused long enough to say, "Sorry, Spike. Don't worry, though! We got this!" with a reassuring smile before he leaped after them.

Cloud stepped forward, taking hold of the handle above the door to steady himself as he leaned forward to look at the beach below.

The renowned golden shores of Costa Del Sol were a battlefield. Cloud felt his stomach flip, watching as his kinsmen brutally maimed his comrades, troopers and SOLDIER thirds alike, just as the SOLDIERs he came with returned them the favour. Sephiroth was especially vicious, with Masamune sweeping across the sand, cutting into his enemies like paper.

Zack was the only one attempting to speak to the Nords. He was ignored, of course, but at least he was trying . No one else was trying to negotiate.

Cloud growled and shoved himself away from the door. He took a shuddering breath, a shaking hand coming up to run through unruly spikes. He was conflicted. He had been given orders to stay in the helicopter, and disobeying those orders would probably result in a Court Martial.

But his purpose on this mission was to help uncover why the Nords were attacking in the first place. Hel, he wanted to know why his kinsman attacking and he will never find out if he stayed on the helicopter.

Cloud's eyes narrowed, "Screw my orders."

His rifle was packed with the rest of his gear in the luggage compartment, there was no way he could get it unless the helicopter landed. He could not afford to wait that long.

Moving back to the open door, Cloud judged the distance between the helicopter and the sand below. He took a few steps back, a deep breath, then took a running leap out of the helicopter, the air rushed past him as he fell. His landing was cushioned by soft sand and with his heart pounding with adrenalin, he rolled onto his feet and glanced around him, quickly taking stock of the situation.

Not far down the beach, a trooper was on the ground, scrambling away from a tall, intimidating Nord in brown leathers and a short steel helmet, who was preparing to swing his two handed battle axe down on him. Cloud bolted towards them, picking up a pair of short swords he spotted lying by a fallen Nord on the way.

He barreled into the Nord, the force of his momentum causing the swing of the axe to swerve to the side and away from the trooper.

Cloud rolled away from the stumbling Nord and into a defensive crouch. "Get out of here!" He told the trooper, whose panicked, wild eyes took one look at his saviour before nodding, taking the opportunity to flee.

He turned his attention back to his kinsman. He was on his feet again, his axe ready, eyeing Cloud and his fighting stance cautiously.

" Why are you doing this ?" Cloud demanded in their language.

The Nord looked momentarily surprised. "One of us?" The man wondered aloud, his voice deep and booming, "And you fight on their behalf?"

" That's not important ," Cloud replied stoically, " You didn't answer my question. What possible use would this serve you ?"

The Nord gave him an assessing look, he was silent for a moment while they slowly circled each other. " I will tell you, because you are one of our own. " He said slowly, " We know they have the God Stones, Odin's especially. We want them back. "

The way the man said that, it sounded like it was not just for cultural or religious reasons. Cloud's gut instinct told him there was something else going on. Cloud's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, " For what purpose ?"

" Ragnarok ."

Cloud froze, halting in his tracks, " What ?" He hissed, " What do you mean, 'Ragnarok'? The Long Winter hasn't come yet !"

The man scoffed, "We don't intend to wait for the Long Winter, nor will we wait for Heimdall's horn."

"**Why**?"

" Why not ?" The Nord shot back angrily, " These people and their Earth Witches drove us from these lands and we had no choice but to move to infertile lands! They trapped our Gods in stones and scattered them! If we find the rest of the God Stones and free them, we can bring Ragnarok down upon them in vengeance and bring a new beginning, a new world, all at once!" The man's voice, which had been rising with rage.

" The rest of the God Stones? You already found some? " Cloud questioned.

" We have already freed Thor. We search for Odin, Tyr and the rest of the Aesir ."

" Only the Aesir? What about Loki and his children? "

The Nord snorted, " If we find their stones, we will give them to Odin so he may crush them to dust. What say you, brother? Will you join us? "

Cloud shook his head helplessly, horrified at what his people planned to do and with a glare, he said, "I can't let you do that."

The man scowled, " That's a shame ."

Before he knew it, the Nord was charging, swinging his heavy axe down in a deadly arch. Cloud dove out of the way, rolling to his feet behind the Nord, who had stumbled when his axe failed to connect with its target. The Nord swiped the axe across the ground, spraying sand in Cloud's direction, forcing Cloud to raise his arms to protect his eyes. The man took advantage of the distraction, kicking Cloud in the chest and knocking him on to his back before swinging his axe down at him.

Cloud rolled away, barely missing the blade that landed heavily in the sand where his head used to be. He kicked the man in the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel, and then planted his booted foot firmly on the man's bulky shoulder to push him away, buying himself enough time to get back on his feet and get some distance between them.

The man stood and they circled each other again. Cloud waited for the man to strike first and, sure enough, the man seemed to lose patience and lunged at him again. Cloud ducked under the first swing but he was caught by surprise when the man's ringed hand struck him with backhand to the face. Pain bloomed on his right brow, but Cloud rolled with the blow and, hearing a grunt that could only mean the man had hefted his axe again, dove out of the way just in time, this time swinging one of his swords to slash at the back of the man's legs.

The Nord cried out in pain, his knees almost buckling. He quickly recovered and turned to face Cloud again with a slight limp. Cloud saw the man begin to lift his axe, with slightly more effort than before. Just as the man raised his arms, Cloud thrust the blade in his right hand between the man's exposed ribs. The nord howled in agony, the heavy axe falling from his grip with a thud.

The mighty Nord did not fall immediately. Sharp, stormy grey eyes locked with Cloud's and Cloud felt a chill of fear at the rage in the man's eyes. One of his large, calloused hands wrapped around Cloud's neck and squeezed, cutting off his air supply. Cloud tried to kick him, and when that did nothing to loosen the man's grip, he did the only thing he could. He shifted his grip on the second short sword still in his left hand and thrust it into the man's chest.

The Nord let out a pained grunt and let go of his neck, stumbling back.

Cloud gasped a lungful of air and coughed, his hands rising to feel his bruised neck as he watched the man fall to his knees. His kinsman coughed wetly, blood bubbling from his lips, then tipped his head back to look at the sky.

"Valhalla calls." The man choked, sounding strangely calm, "I hope to fight you again...when Ragnarok comes." His body tipped to the side and fell to the sand.

Cloud's knees hit the sand as they buckled and he tried to catch his breath. He felt numb as he stared into the Nord's lifeless eyes. Although he was taught to fight, to hunt, and despite being told that dying in battle was the greatest honour, it did not prepare him for this. He had never killed a human being before and, in this moment, staring at what he had done, the knowledge that his kinsman had died an ideal death brought him little comfort.

The Nord warrior began to dissolve, slowly turning it into a green mist that floated towards the sky. Cloud idly wondered if a Valkyrie had been the one to take him.

He was brought out of his daze when something warm fell in to his right eye. He wiped at his eyelid with the back of his hand, wincing as he felt a stinging pain in his eyebrow and his hand came back stained red with blood. He realised that one of the rings on the Nord's fingers must have cut his brow when he backhanded him.

Glancing around him, Cloud sighed at the sight of bodies scattered along the beach. The fight was over, with more Nord casualties than Shinra. He spotted Sephiroth, Angeal and Zack approaching and clenched his jaw, pushing himself to his feet and mentally prepared himself for the consequences of his decision.

"You were told to remain in the helicopter, Specialist." Angeal said sternly.

"With all due respect, Sir," Cloud croaked with some difficulty, "I didn't think that was a good idea. I'm supposed to help you find out why the Nords are attacking and I can't do that if all of them are dead."

"He does have a point." Zack muttered, earning a reproachful look from Angeal.

"You could have been killed." Angeal told him.

"I can take care of myself, Sir."

Zack snorted, "Yeah, no kidding. I don't think I could have taken that guy if I wasn't enhanced. It was pretty badass, Cloud."

Cloud almost smiled, but Angeal's reprimanding "Zack." sobered him.

"Sirs, you have to understand. These are my people," He said, his hand gesturing to encompass the dissolving bodies littering the shore, "And this isn't like them. I had to know what would make them do this, I needed to know why ."

"And did you find out why?" Sephiroth asked, shrewd and to the point.

Cloud nodded grimly, wiping at the blood threatening to enter his eye, "I did, Sir."

Angeal sighed, "Cloud, that doesn't change the fact that you disobeyed a direct order from a superior officer. If we report this then you will be Court Martialed."

Cloud felt his heart drop. This could get him suspended, or worse, discharged.

"That is, of course, if we mentioned that I gave the order to begin with." Sephiroth added.

Angeal sent the General a startled look, "Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth shrugged elegantly, "Clearly, we have misjudged Specialist Strife's abilities, he was more than capable of holding his own." He nodded in the direction of a trooper standing on the other side of the beach with what was left of his company, "I saw him save a trooper from that man and he managed to get us information. What's more, if we report this and he ends up getting Court Martialed, he will most likely be removed from this assignment and we will lose the only lead we have as well as our translator. It is in the company's, and our, best interest not to report this."

Angeal took a deep breath, turning to study Cloud for a moment before exhaling a sigh, "Alright. We won't report this." Zack pumped his fist in silent triumph and Cloud let out a relieved breath, "We'll make an exception this time, but you can't disobey any more orders and you can't tell anyone else about this."

Cloud saluted sharply, "Sir, yes, Sir! Thank you, Sir!"

"Good." Angeal nodded, then suddenly frowned, looking up at the sky in confusion. Cloud followed his gaze to the dark clouds that had suddenly darkened the sky and felt the first drop of rain hit his cheek.

"That's strange..." Sephiroth murmured.

"Rain?" Zack exclaimed as it began to pour, "In Costa del Sol? I thought that never happens?"

"It doesn't. And it looks like it's a thunderstorm storm too." Angeal replied, a bright flash of lightning lighting the suddenly dark beach.

The sound of thunder soon followed and Cloud heard rage in it. "That is not a storm." He corrected, drawing the attention of his superiors.

"That is the wrath of a god."

* * *

**A/N:**

There are some things that I wanted to point out:

1) I have changed Norse mythology very slightly so it can fit in with FFVII lore. I'm trying to keep almost all the cultural stuff as close as i can to actual real life history. If you're ever curious, you can always ask me or check out wikipedia.

2) Most people tend to confuse the Norse people in general with Vikings, but actually Vikings were mostly, in simple terms, kind of pirates? They were a relatively small group of Nords that left to raid other lands for food and trade goods and gained a reputation. Cloud isn't exactly a Viking in this story (more like a badass Nord) but the people who came to Costa del Sol are more like actual Vikings, which brings me to my next point.

3) The Vikings that attacked Costa del Sol are kind of a cult. You will find out more about this in future chapters.

4) I don't actually speak any sort of Scandinavian language but Staryday left a comment on AO3 asking for a pronunciation guide for Nordic words so i found this Swedish letter pronunciation guide and here's a list of the words I used with their meanings:

Hej = Hello/Hi/Hey (pronounced pretty much like "Hey".)  
Mor = Mother  
Bra = Good  
Valp = Puppy/Pup (yup Cloud's nickname is the same as Zack's lmao)  
Nej = No (pronounced "Ney"/"Neigh")  
Ja = Yes (pronounced "Ya"/"Yeah")  
Skáney = The name of an area in Sweden at the tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, which is actually where the word "Scandinavia" comes from.  
Tyr = God of War, Law and Heroic Glory. He's not always called the god of war but Norse warriors have been known to carve his rune in their weapons before battle, which qualifies him as a war god.  
Odin = King of the Aesir, The god of a whole bunch of stuff like healing, death, battle, frenzy, magic and poetry. He's a very busy guy.  
Thor = I'm sure you're all familiar with this guy. He's the god of Thunder &amp; Lightning, Storms, Strength and Protection of mortals. He's known for having a hot temper and a hammer. There's this myth that thunder is actually the sound of Mjolnir (his hammer) hitting an anvil or something.  
Valkyrie = Supernatural warrior ladies that fly over battle fields and pluck worthy fallen warriors from the battlefield and take them to Valhalla.  
Ragnarok = A prophecy about a war between the gods (Aesir vs Loki &amp; his children) that's supposed to end the world. The dead warriors taken by Valkyries to Valhalla are supposed to wait there until Ragnarok, where they're brought back to life to fight for the gods.

I hope that helps!

Thank you all for all the lovely messages! I'm so glad you like this fic and I hope to read more comments from you :)


	6. Ragnarok

There was warmth were there was once pain, the mending skin tingling as it healed.

Cloud sighed. His eyelids, heavy with weariness, fluttered shut briefly, enjoying the last vestiges of comfort the healing spell provided.

The other Nord might have hated the Cetra for trapping their gods in Materia and Cloud might be a bit resentful too, but he had to admit that their Cure Materia were definitely useful. And pleasant.

"Thanks, Zack." Cloud whispered with sincere gratitude.

Zack grinned at him and ruffled his hair, "No problem, Spike."

With his task done, Zack disappeared into the bathroom. Sephiroth moved to regally seat himself on the twin sized bed opposite Cloud. His custom leather coat was hanging on the coat rack, leaving him bare chested with his long, wet hair gathered over one shoulder. Angeal was sitting at the breakfast table nearby, also missing his shirt, drying his hair with towel.

The spontaneous thunderstorm had driven them indoors, into a nearby hotel. The owners had taken one look at the Shinra soldiers dripping water onto their fancy carpets and immediately began to arrange accommodations for them. Cloud had been watching the ominous thunderclouds through a window while the hotel staff rushed to prepare their rooms; anxiously expecting Thor in all his golden might to come crashing down on the shore with Mjolnir ready to raze the beach town to the ground.

But Thor did not appear.

Cloud had puzzled over this, wondering if he had been imagining the way the claps of thunder sounded like a hammer striking an anvil, or perhaps he had simply misunderstood the god's rage, and Thor was angry at something else entirely?

"What did you learn about the attacks, Specialist?" Sephiroth asked him as Zack returned, throwing a towel at Cloud before sitting beside him. Cloud caught the towel deftly and began rubbing his drooping spikes dry.

"They're looking for a few specific Materia. Summons." Cloud croaked, rubbing his still sore neck, "Do you know if anyone working for Shinra has the Odin summon?"

Angeal shared a significant look with Sephiroth before replying slowly, "Yes...Genesis has it."

"Why would they be looking for the Odin summon?" Zack questioned, rubbing at his own hair with a towel.

"He's one of our gods." Cloud explained, gingerly wiping the drying blood off the still tender skin of his brow with the towel, "The story goes that the Nords once lived on the southern continents, mostly on the western continent. They lived separate from the Ancients but they had good enough relations with them for trade. Then something happened, some sort of disagreement involving something my people called 'The Imposter'. I'm not sure what happened but the Ancients were angry enough that they found a way to trap the entirety of our pantheon into Materia. My people were banished to the northern islands and the Materia were scattered."

Zack winced, "Harsh."

Sephiroth hummed pensively, his brow furrowed as he idly twisted his hair as if to wring what was left of the dampness out of it, "How significant is Odin in your pantheon?"

"He's the king of Asgard. He's probably the most important one."

"I suppose he would be their priority then?"

Cloud nodded.

"Then I would assume that they attacked the Shinra outposts because they knew someone who works for Shinra would, at least, have the Odin Summon."

"How would they know that?" Zack inquired.

Sephiroth shrugged elegantly, "Summons can only be used by people with high MP. Shinra military have more use for Materia and Summons than a regular citizen and are, therefore, more likely to be in possession of it."

"That does make sense," Angeal commented, "If it's a summon powerful enough that even Genesis was complaining about it putting a dent in his MP, then only a seasoned Materia user, someone with Mako enhancements or an Ancient would be able to use it. Seeing as the Ancients are extinct," Cloud noticed Zack grimace at this, "If I was looking for a Summon that powerful, I'd consider searching for it in Shinra first. It would be easier to start there...or they might have simply heard news that a Shinra Commander was in possession of it."

Sephiroth nodded in agreement, "Both theories are plausible."

"So, what are they planning to do when they find all the Summons?" Zack asked Cloud.

Cloud let the towel drop around his neck, "They want to free them."

"To what end?" Sephiroth questioned.

"_Ragnarok_." Cloud replied grimly.

"And that is?"

Cloud took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to find the words, "That's...kind of hard to explain."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Zack and Angeal were staring at Cloud expectantly.

"_Ragnarok_ is...a prophesized war. An end of days."

"Why would they want that?" Angeal asked flatly, making the question sound more like an accusation while leaning forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees.

Cloud shrugged helplessly, "It's less of an end of days and more like...rebooting the world, essentially. If they bring about a new beginning with Ragnarok, then the Nords might have better luck in the new world." He shook his head with a scowl, frustrated, "It's a stupid plan that I don't agree with at all. I don't understand what they're thinking, they're breaking all the rules by trying to start Ragnarok ahead of time."

Zack looked amused, "You guys have rules for starting an apocalypse?"

Cloud flushed, his eyes finding the floor, "Not exactly. The prophecy says that Ragnarok is only meant to start once a series of events occur."

"Like what?"

Cloud took a deep breath, "A three year long winter and then a devastating war followed by Heimdall blowing his horn to announce the beginning of Ragnarok. Fenrir will breaking free of his chains, Jormungandr will emerge from the sea, Skoll and Hati will devour the sun and moon, then the Gods will gather their warriors and the war of the gods will begin."

Zack whistled, "Well, that's eventful."

Cloud quirked a wry smirk, "Understatement."

There was another thunderclap outside and he startled, his cheeks flushing with colour immediately after as he realized that the others were still watching him. "Sirs," He began tentatively, "Permission to make a phone call?"

Angeal's face seemed to soften, "Permission granted, Specialist."

Cloud excused himself and stepped outside of the hotel room, walking all the way to a window at the end of the hallway before pulling out his new PHS and dialing the number of Nibelheim's Inn. He watched the ominous clouds through the window as the ringback tone beeped.

There was a click as the phone was answered, and then a gruff voice grumbled, "Nibelheim Inn."

"May I speak to Vivianne Strife, please?"

There was a long pause and then a grunt, "You the witch's brat?"

Cloud rolled his eyes, "Yes. May I speak to my mother?"

"Fine." He huffed, "Hold on a minute."

There was a clatter as the receiver was placed down on the other end. Cloud kept an eye on the clouds until he finally heard it being picked up again several minutes later.

"Cloud?"

"_Mor_." He murmured quietly, the single word packed with emotion.

His mother was silent for a moment, "_You don't normally call me. Did something happen?_"

Cloud sighed, running a hand through unruly spikes, "_I have some good news and some bad news..._"

"._..I'm listening._"

"_The good news is, I've been promoted. I'm a _Specialist _now, and I got my own _PHS_ so you can call me directly now._"

His mother's joyful laugh filled his ear, its warmth making him smile, "_That's great news, valp! I'm so happy for you!_"

"_Tack._" *

A brief silence.

"_What's the bad news?_" His mother prompted.

"_We've...encountered some other Nords, Mor. From Skáney._"

His mother hummed, "_That's strange. They haven't wandered down south in ages_."

"_It gets stranger. They've been attacking some _Shinra_ outposts, I spoke to one of them and...He told me they were looking for the God Stones. He said they were looking to start Ragnarok early._"

The line went dead silent.

"_Mor?_" He finally called tentatively when she did not respond immediately.

"_Tell me everything from the beginning._"

And he did, only leaving out the part where he disobeyed orders and the part where he was almost strangled. When he explained what it was the Nords wanted to do in more detail, his mother cursed, "_What in Hel are they thinking? Odin All-Father could easily turn on them for this. To presume to know the gods is madness!_"

"_Yeah, that's more or less what I told him. He also said that they've already freed Thor -_"

As if on cue, thunder rumbled loudly, the window's glass pane vibrating with the force of it. Cloud startled again, nearly dropping his new PHS.

"_Norns! Was that him?_"

"_Yeah.._." He confirmed sheepishly.

"_That's not good, valp. Thor's temper is legendary. If they already have Thor..._"

"_I know._"

"_Has he shown himself yet?_"

"_No. That's the weird part, he seems to be keeping his distance. It makes me uneasy._"

"_If he does show up, you know what to do, right?_"

"_Run in the opposite direction?_"

"_That's my boy._" She sighed and when she resumed, her voice was hushed, "_I'll seal Fenrir's stone and hide it, so at least one is safe._"

"_He won't like it, but it's probably for the best._"

"_Cloud,_" She said grimly, "_You have to find as many of the God Stones as you can and bring them to me. Especially Loki's children. We can't allow them them to start Ragnarok before its time._"

Cloud nodded, "_Will do._" He sighed, "_I should probably go back._"

"_Alright. Be careful._"

"_I will._"

"_I'm proud of you, Cloud. I love you so much._"

"_Love you too, Mor._"

* * *

There are very few things in life that Sephiroth was ever allowed to enjoy. Hojo had tried his hardest to limit the enjoyable things in his life, claiming that they are all unnecessary distractions. He has experienced more, now that he has friends. Angeal and Genesis, and now Zack as well, encourage him to try new things, to pursue interests. His time in Wutai had revealed to him that one of the most fascinating things for him was learning about other cultures, and now, he has the chance to learn more about another.

The Nords interested him. Culturally, they seem to be vastly different from the people of Wutai. The ones he'd met were formidable opponents, albeit unenhanced. If one would give them Mako enhancements then perhaps they could pose an actual challenge for him.

Specialist Strife was interesting as well. On first glance, Strife seemed shy and quiet - meek, even. He was short for his age, and skinny. When Zack had first told him a story of how a trooper had saved him from a pack of Behemoths, he had checked the database for the trooper's profile on his PHS, took one look at the doll-like face in the photo on his profile and the somewhat unimpressive test scores, and immediately dismissed him. But the more time Sephiroth spent with the trooper, the more complex and contradictory the boy became.

The boy was quiet, sure, but there was a sharpness to his gaze that spoke of intelligence, a fire of anger and determination that burned bright behind his almost Mako blue eyes. He had a defiant streak that belied his seemingly timorous personality. The few glimpses Sephiroth had caught of Cloud's fight with a Nord almost thrice his size showed his ability to fight cleverly and with an agility that he would not have expected from him before. He was an enigma, simultaneously fragile and strong.

But more than that, he was mercifully devoid of the strange obsession most of the troops seem to have for him. He clearly looked up to him, but he didn't stare at him or make odd comments. He also managed to hold eye contact with him, unflinching, and treated him with the same respect he showed Angeal, but still seemed comfortable expressing his opinions to both of them. He didn't even seem to recognise what the Silver Elite was, which had made Sephiroth almost sigh with relief.

Strife had returned from his phone call a few minutes ago, he had ducked into the bathroom to change into dry clothes from the duffel bag that Rude had dropped off while he was away. When he emerged, he was dressed in a fresh set of the standard infantry uniform, his spiky hair now dry.

"Specialist." Sephiroth called.

"Yeah, Sir?" The blond replied tentatively.

"What do you think our next course of action should be?"

Strife frowned thoughtfully for a moment, his head tilting slightly to the side. "I think we should find all of the Summons before the Nords do and keep them somewhere safe, Sir. If they start _Ragnarok_ ahead of time, it would be...bad."

Sephiroth nodded, "Then I suppose we should speak to Genesis about the one he already has. What about the Nords?"

"...I think we could probably find a more reasonable person to speak to than the one I fought. Maybe we could convince them this would be a bad idea, or at least reach a compromise."

Sephiroth hummed his approval before turning to Angeal. "Call Genesis. Ask him to meet us halfway in Rocket Town."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sooo sorry this took forever. I'm terrible.

Thank you so much for being patient and for all the lovely comments, it means so much to me. I'm really happy you're all enjoying this!

* Tack = Apparently, It's Swedish for Thank you. Which is super close to the old Norse word for Thank you as well? wasn't sure which one to use so i ended up using Swedish instead of old Norse.

I chose the name Vivianne for Cloud's mother because Cloud describes his mother in the game as "Vibrant". Vivianne is the Scandinavian form of the Latin name Viviana meaning "Alive, Animated or Lively" so I figured it was the best fit. What do you guys think?

Thanks again for reading 3


	7. Runes

**A/N: **

**HELLO HI GUESS WHAT, I'M NOT DEAD! \O/**

**I'M SOOOOOOOO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG OMG**

**I got a full-time job a few months back and I've had very little time to do anything since BUT YOOO I AM BACK WITH AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER! B)**

**Also, thank you so much for all the lovely comments while I've been gone, you guys are the best!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You called me back from a war zone to ask me for a Summon Materia? Are you joking?" Genesis hissed at his friends, throwing a glare at the trooper standing rigidly across the room.

"Genesis, this is important." Sephiroth insisted, "We can't let them have it, it's safer under our supervision."

"Are you implying I can't look after a Materia, General?" He spat.

"No, I'm implying you're a showoff and you'll draw too much attention to it."

Genesis drew back, looking utterly insulted.

Angeal sighed a long suffering sigh, "Will you two stop bickering? It's not that big of a deal, Genesis. Specialist Strife thinks we should gather all the Summons and keep them in a safe place, just in case. We are considering a diplomatic solution, maybe offering them the Summons in exchange for peace. We don't need a second war on top of the one in Wutai. But if we don't go through with it, we'll give you back the Summon once this is over."

"You're planning on giving the most powerful Summon I have ever used to a bunch of axe wielding pillagers?" He snarled, "That's unacceptable! What if they decide they're not feeling very diplomatic and use the Summon against us?"

Sephiroth shrugged, "I've seen you use it before. Between the three of us, I doubt we would have trouble defeating him."

"With all due respect, Sir," Strife piped up, "I think you're underestimating Odin."

Everyone turned to look at the blond and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. Genesis expected him to put the trooper down for the slightly insulting comment, but instead he simply looked curious, "Elaborate."

Strife shrugged lightly, momentarily breaking his parade rest, "As Summons, the gods are limited. Their power is...muffled, I guess. They are much less mighty than they were before they were imprisoned in the Materia, their abilities are limited by the Materia user's imagination. If the Nords free Odin, then he could be more powerful than you can even imagine."

Sephiroth nodded, humming thoughtfully, and Genesis cannot fucking believe he's actually listening to this kid.

"And how do we know you won't betray us and free Odin for your Nord friends?" Genesis accused, squinting suspiciously at the boy, who frowned at him in return.

"Cloud wouldn't do that!" Zack defended.

"You'll excuse me if I don't trust your judgement, puppy."

"Wha-!"

"They're not my friends, and helping them would not benefit me in any way, Commander." Strife replied with forced calm, but his furrowed brow belied his ire.

"And why is that?" Genesis challenged.

"What they want would end up killing thousands of innocent people, not to mention destroy some of those gods, including the one I follow."

Genesis narrowed his eyes further at the boy, "And which one would that be? Odin, perhaps?" He sneered.

Strife shook his head slightly, his ridiculous hair spikes swaying with the motion but he said nothing, which only served to rankle Genesis further.

"Who he follows is irrelevant to this discussion," Sephiroth interjected coolly, interrupting the scathing remark Genesis was planning to throw at the boy, "Just give us the summon, Genesis. You have plenty of others...Unless you're afraid you might be too weak without it?" He needled with a smirk.

Genesis scowled.

"Fine." He spat crossly. He unequipped the glowing red Materia from his bangle and lobbed it at Sephiroth, hoping, rather vindictively, that the stupid thing would somehow slip through the bastard's guard and smack him right in his smug face.

Sadly, Sephiroth's reflexes were better than that. He caught the orb smoothly, his smirk gaining a victorious edge.

And then the asshole walked right up to the boy and _gave him the summon_. Goddess help him, Sephiroth must have lost his goddamn mind.

It's not that Genesis has anything in particular against the boy, don't get him wrong. He seemed to have some spine, and that was enough to earn the fiery commander's respect, albeit begrudgingly. But Genesis was a distrustful man by nature, his perspective being that perhaps it was safer to be distrustful than to be too trustful only to regret it.

But if his friends were stubbornly insistent on trusting the boy, then Genesis might as well join them.

Genesis sighed, relaxing his shoulders, "So what's the plan now, kid?"

The blonde blinked, eyebrows lowering at the notoriously obstinate commander's sudden change of heart. The boy shifted his weight uncertainly, eyes quickly darting to Sephiroth as if seeking guidance, and then back to meet Genesis' eyes.

"If we don't want the Nords to find _this_," he emphasized by raising a fist that was currently wrapped tightly around the summon Materia, and Genesis suddenly realized the boy has refused to look at the orb since it was given to him, "We need to seal it and ward it. At least for now."

The SOLDIERS exchanged a look.

"Ward it?" Angeal asked from where he was lounging in a chair.

Zack placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head questioningly, "Seal it?"

Strife nodded, and seriously, how is his hair so gravity defying and bouncy, Genesis wondered, "The wards prevent the Nords from finding the Materia by magical means, and sealing it will hide it from sight."

"Are you able to seal and ward it, Specialist?" Sephiroth questioned.

Strife shook his head, spikes swaying, "Negative, General. I've never been good at that stuff, but my mother is."

Great, now they need the kid's mom to help them. Shinra's finest, bested by what was probably a stay-at-home mom. Genesis huffed, cocking his hip, "If they can find the stupid thing with magic, why haven't they already?"

Strife's expression grew pensive, "I've been wondering that myself, sir. I tried scrying for it last night and I couldn't get a lock on it. I can't be sure because, like I said, I've never been good at that stuff, but I think there's something blocking it."

Genesis noticed Zack mouthing '_Scrying?_' to himself out of the corner of his eye and, for once, Genesis felt like he was bonding with the puppy in their shared confusion.

Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully, folding his arms across his chest, "A ward?"

Apparently Sephiroth wasn't dying to know about the scrying thing. Genesis envied him.

"It's possible." Strife replied with a shrug, "But it's best to ward it anyway, just to be sure."

Angeal stood with a grunt, "Shall we go meet Strife's mother, then?"

Strife's head whipped around to look at Angeal, eyes wide. "What?" He blurted.

Sephiroth smirked, "Yes, we shall."

"Hell yeah! We'll get to see Cloud's baby pictures!" Zack yelled excitedly, pumping a celebratory fist in his enthusiasm.

Strife turned his incredulous gaze to Genesis, "What the hel just happened?"

Genesis couldn't stop the vindictive laugh that bubbled out of his throat if he tried.

* * *

Shinra infantry helmets are the worst.

Do they provide necessary protection? Yes. Do they provide helpful sensors? Yes. Are they comfortable? No.

Cloud hated the clumsy tin can he was currently wearing on his head with a burning passion. It was hot, stifling and made his scalp itchy. Normally, he would jump at any opportunity not to wear it, but he cannot think of a better way to avoid Tifa. The rest of the Nibelheimers too, but mostly Tifa.

Zack's arm suddenly slipped around his shoulders, his weight leaning into Cloud's side. "Why are you wearing that thing, Spike? You usually avoid wearing it like the plague."

When Cloud looked away instead of answering, Zack leaned closer as if trying to magically catch the Specialist's eyes through the helmet. Cloud leaned back further and Zack retaliated by poking the blond's exposed cheek with a gloved finger.

"Come on, Cloud. What's up with the helmet?"

Cloud sighed in defeat. He cautiously cast a glance at where Sephiroth and Angeal, who were discussing something with the red haired Turk a few feet away by the helicopter, to make sure they were not listening in, before turning back to Zack.

"Ok, look, there's this girl, - _shut up, let me finish_ -" He hissed when Zack's face immediately broke out in a teasing grin, "I told her I won't come back to Nibelheim until I've made it into SOLDIER."

"Oh." Zack muttered, smile dimming, "And let me guess, you're embarrassed to be back without the title of SOLDIER?"

Cloud sighed again and nodded glumly.

"You're showing up with some of the highest ranking SOLDIERs, though. General Sephiroth himself is going to have dinner with your mom. That should be impressive enough, right?"

Cloud shook his head roughly, "You don't get it, Zack. You breezed through the SOLDIER exams and practically got adopted by a commander. I've been with Shinra for years and I still haven't even made it to SOLDIER Third."

"Cloud," Zack began with gravitas, "The only reason you're not a SOLDIER Third is because your instructors are assholes."

Startled, Cloud blurted, "Wha-?"

"I'm not as unobservant as I seem. I know your instructors are holding you back. You're a good fighter, you're capable, your squad mates like you even though you're the broodiest chocobo on the planet and any Mako sensitivity you have can be accommodated; There's absolutely no reason you shouldn't be a SOLDIER Third already."

Cloud was silent for a few moments, overwhelmed. It was not often that he was praised so bluntly.

"...Yeah?"

"Yup. I mean every word."

Cloud exhaled a shaky breath, hands reaching up to lift the helmet from his head, shaking his spikes free from their prison; Unknowingly reminding Zack of their first meeting.

"Thanks, Zack." He murmured softly, with genuine gratitude.

Zack's face erupted in a brilliant smile, "Anytime, Spike." His gloved hand ruffling the younger boy's hair, "Now, did I ever tell you the story about a girl I knew in Gongaga and the Touch Me frog?"

"Uh...No?"

"You're gonna _love_ this, I promise."

Three minutes later, Sephiroth and Angeal finally ended their talk with the Turk and found Cloud caught in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Zack was in the middle of recounting a ridiculous tale about a girl that made the horrible mistake of kissing a Touch Me frog after hearing a fantastical old story about a frog that was turned into a prince by a kiss.

"-And then her mom was like," Zack's voice rose in pitch to imitate a woman's voice, " '_Where is my baby girl?_' and Mr. Irvine - that was Warren's dad, by the way - actually said, and I shit you not, 'She's over there, making out with a frog'-"

Strife, normally quiet and reserved, wheezed extra loud at this, already having been reduced to tears at this point.

"-The look on her face was literally the most priceless I've ever seen, she looked scandalized that he just implied that her _seven year old_ might have been making out with a _frog_ and then she turned around and saw a Touch Me wearing her daughter's shirt and _actually fainted_. Mrs. Wilson eventually found a way to get the girl to turn back and when the mom woke up she thought she had dreamt the whole thing and everyone thought it would be funnier to play along so no one told her otherwise. She still thinks it was a dream to this day."

"That," Cloud gasped as he wiping a tear, "Is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life."

"I know right." Zack agreed, grinning.

"The infamous Touch Me prince incident?" Angeal inquired, his smile amused.

"You betcha!"

"Ah, yes," Sephiroth smirked, "That one was particularly entertaining. Strife, I'm assuming you know the way to the town from here?"

"Yes, Sir." Cloud confirmed, pointing to a dirt road as he caught his breath, "That should lead us up to the town."

"Lead the way."

When they arrived at the town, the townspeople, who had been buzzing with chatter, quieted down. Their faces a myriad of awed at the presence of Shinra SOLDIERs, and surprised and suspicious at the sight of the Strife boy dressed in infantry blue fatigues.

Cloud lead them in a bee-line through the town square in the direction of his house, avoiding eye contact with everyone they passed. The sound of their heavy military boots against the cobbles was loud and echoing in Cloud's ears with the townspeople whispering so quietly amongst themselves. He would never admit it to anyone but being back in his hometown made him nervous. He had hated it there when he was younger, having had no friends because the other kids did not want their children hanging out with the 'Witch's kid'.

Zack fell in beside him, muttering a quiet "_Why don't they take a picture, it would last longer."_ A reminder that he did have a friend now. A good one. It brought a small but fond smile to his face.

Eventually, they came up to a small modest house near the outskirts of the town. Cloud walked up to the front door and rapped his knuckles against the wooden door in a deliberate pattern. A moment later, the door swung open.

"_Hej, Mor_." Cloud greeted sheepishly.

The woman was definitely related to Cloud. Her hair was a similar shade of blonde, maybe a little darker than her son's. Her hair was devoid of Cloud's signature unruly spikes, instead it was mostly tame and sleek. It was cut short, falling a bit past her jaw. Her eyes were more grey than Cloud's vibrant blue. She was unexpectedly youthful, her face not yet lined with many wrinkles.

Her clothes were simple and practical. Comfortable trousers and a button up shirt in earthy tones, feet clad with heavy winter boots. A worn white apron was tied around her waist.

She smiled at her son, clearly surprised to see her son, but pleasantly so. "Welcome home, _Valp_."

Her eyes wandered to look over Cloud's shoulder, finally spotting the SOLDIERs standing behind him looking somewhat awkward. "Friends of yours?"

Zack was the first to step forward and shake her hand, "Hi Mrs. Strife, do you remember me? I'm Zack, we spoke on the phone?"

"Of course I do." Vivienne's smile grew into a grin, "I promised you baby pictures."

Angeal stepped forward next, "It's nice to meet you, Ma'am. I'm Commander Angeal Hewley, but please call me Angeal."

"Then you can call me Vivienne."

"This is General Sephiroth." Angeal introduced when Sephiroth did not introduce himself after a moment.

Cloud looked back at the General, only to find him looking towards the steps leading up to the Shinra mansion and the reactor.

"Nice to meet you all. Come in, come in!" She ushered, "I was just starting to make dinner, I'll make extra."

They thanked her on their way in, the SOLDIERs taking a seat around the dining table in their small kitchen while Vivienne bustled around the kitchen and Cloud set the table. Angeal and Zack asked a few curious questions about the town. Vivienne replied with a few stories, Cloud occasionally chipping in. Sephiroth was eerily quiet throughout the process, only showing interest when the reactor was mentioned.

"Alright, boys, dinner is ready." Vivienne announced, bringing a pot of stew with her.

"Smells good, Mrs. Strife!" Zack exclaimed, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Thank you, dear. Cloud, sit down."

Cloud obediently sat on her right. Zack immediately dove into his bowl of stew with enthusiasm. The dinner went along pleasantly, with Angeal and Zack complimenting Vivienne's cooking and exchanging stories with her about Gongaga and Banora. Sephiroth said nothing, eating his meal mechanically.

"So," Vivienne began as she set down her spoon, bowl now empty. "What brings you boys here?"

Cloud and Angeal exchanged a look before Cloud spoke, "Do you remember what I told you about the Nords and the god stones?"

"Yes?"

Cloud set down his own spoon and reached into one of the utility pockets of his uniform, pulling out the Odin summon and placing it on the table near his mother's hand. She paused, eyes observing the orb, then looked back at her son. Hesitantly, she picked up the orb, closing her eyes for a moment to reach out to it with her senses.

"Odin." She murmured.

"We were wondering if you could seal it and...ward it?" Angeal inquired, uncertain if he remembered the term correctly.

Vivienne nodded decisively, "Should be easy enough. I can hide it here for you, if you like?"

"That would be great, thank you." Angeal confirmed with a grateful nod and a polite smile. "I was also wondering if perhaps you had any idea where we might be able to find these Nords?"

"You mean the ones causing Shinra trouble?" When Angeal nodded again, she smiled shrewdly at her son. "No, but I know of a way to find out."

Cloud was confused for a moment, but the longer his mother looked at him meaningfully, the more obvious it became.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, _yes_."

"You know I suck at it, _Mor._"

Vivienne gave her son the universal Disapproving Mom Look™ that seemed to say '_Back talk again, son, I dare you_.'

"Tough luck, _valp_." She said, pushing her chair back and rising to her feet.

Zack was looking back and forth between Cloud and his mother, "What's going on?"

A cloth bag, heavy with something, was dropped on the table by Cloud's elbow. He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes, giving Angeal perfect insight into the kind of huffy teen Cloud used to be.

"Zack, would you be a dear and help me clear the table?" Vivienne requested as she picked up Cloud's dishes and utensils to clear the area in front of him.

"Sure!" Zack agreed, jumping to his feet to help.

Angeal watched Cloud slowly open the bag, "How is the bag going to help us?"

"He's going to ask the Norns for guidance." Vivienne answered on her son's behalf, "There are three Norns. Urðr, who governs the past; Verðandi, who governs the present; and Skuld, who governs the future. Together, the three of them weave the cloth of fate and time."

Cloud reached into the bag to pull out a handful of small, vaguely rectangular shaped flat stones carved with symbols.

Vivienne turned to address the other three, "Please try and keep quiet while he does this, he needs to concentrate."

Angeal and Zack nodded dutifully. Sephiroth remained silent.

Vivienne moved to stand behind her son, placing her small hands on her son's shoulders in silent support. Cloud set the bag to the side. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to focus on what he wanted to ask.

_Where do we find the Nords that seek Ragnarok?_

Cloud threw the stones onto the table and opened his eyes. Some stones landed face down. The others, he was surprised to find, faced upwards and spelled out his reply.

**_North-East. Sea._**

Cloud gathered the runes.

_How do I find them?_

He cast again.

Another reply.

**_Ship. Hidden. Fog._**

Cloud's eyes rose from the runes to meet Zack and Angeal's who had been watching him read the runes with fascination.

"They said that we can find the Nords on a ship hidden by fog, north-east from here."

Angeal's brows rose, "And you got all that just from looking at those?" Cloud nodded, "The Turks should consider learning to read those then, that was much faster than their recon missions."

Cloud chuckled as he gathered the scattered stones from the table.

Suddenly, the cloth bag tipped over and spilled the runes still in the bag all over the table with a clatter. Cloud felt his mom's hands squeeze his shoulders, and his stomach dropped with unease as he read the words they spelled.

_**Danger. Beware.**_

He hurriedly gathered all the runes, doubling the number of the stones in his hands, and silently asked '_What danger?'_ as he cast them.

They landed in three lines.

**_Evil._**

**_Corrupting Silver Warrior._**

**_Leave Mountain Now._**

Cloud paled, his head jerking up sharply to finally take a good look at Sephiroth, who had been quiet ever since entering the town. The general looked dazed, like he had been drugged, but the Mako in his eyes was glowing far more brightly than usual, the catlike pupils dilated and unfocused; But even in his addled state, Sephiroth screamed danger to Cloud.

"What's wrong?" Angeal questioned, noticing Cloud and Vivienne's suddenly pallid faces.

"You need to go." Vivienne informed them gravely.

"Right now." Cloud agreed, standing up so hurriedly that his chair scraped loudly against the floor. Sephiroth did not flinch at the loud noise like the other two did.

Zack looked alarmed, "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later. We need to leave."

"But what about the baby pictu-"

"I'll show you the pictures next time, son. But right now, you need to get the General away from this mountain."

As the two SOLDIERs turned to look at Sephiroth, they began to look just as uneasy as Cloud felt.

"Zack, help me get the General out of here. Now." Angeal ordered.

"Yes, Sir!"


	8. My friend, the fates are kind

**A/N: HELLO HI I'M STILL ALIVE!**

**Thank you all so much for being so supportive and patient! （*'∀'人） Also, Sorry! I had a technical issue while posting this chapter so I had to repost it again. Enjoy!**

* * *

Angeal grabbed hold of Sephiroth's dominant left arm while Zack took his right. Together, they pulled the general to his feet and dragged the dazed man towards the front door.

"Cloud, take this. May the gods be with you." Vivianne said from behind them, but Angeal didn't turn to see what she gave the boy, nor did he hear Cloud's reply, too concerned with Sephiroth's behaviour to spare them a glance.

It unnerved Angeal to see the powerful general so quiet and pliant, it was so unlike him. He couldn't read his friend like this, couldn't predict what his actions would be, and that worried him. Sephiroth was powerful, frightfully so. If Sephiroth lost control, he wasn't sure he would be enough to stop him. He wasn't sure anyone would be.

The town was almost empty, now that it had gotten dark out.

"Specialist." He called.

Cloud promptly appeared at his side, falling into step with him and Zack, "Yes, Sir?"

"Run ahead of us. Tell Reno it's a Code Mako and to get the helicopter ready for immediate departure."

Cloud nodded sharply, "Understood, Sir."

Just as Cloud began to jog away, a girl wearing an outfit Angeal considered far too revealing for Nibelheim's frigid climate marched over to them with purpose.

"Cloud Strife!" She yelled, sounding very much like a woman on a warpath, "You're back in Nibelheim and you don't even bother to telling m — "

"Tifa!" Cloud interrupted her urgently, "I'm really sorry but I don't have time to talk. Bye!"

He sprinted away. Much faster than before, Angeal noted distractedly.

"Cloud!" The girl — Tifa, apparently. — yelled after him, stomping her booted foot on the ground childishly as Angeal and Zack passed by her with Sephiroth in tow.

They managed to get Sephiroth to the town entrance without further incident, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, Angeal felt his instincts flare sharply in warning just in time for him to lean back to avoid an elbow to the face.

Zack wasn't so lucky. He heard his protege let out a half pained, half startled yelp as Sephiroth's other elbow jerked up to slam into his nose.

Angeal quickly grappled Sephiroth from behind, pinning the man's arms as much as he could.

"Zack! Grab his legs!" He yelled.

Zack immediately lunged for the general's legs and, together, they lifted the man off the ground. They managed to awkwardly carry him further from the town, but it took all their strength to restrain him and his struggling grew more vehement the further they went; until one of his booted feet kicked Zack hard in the face, knocking him onto his back.

Angeal wrestled with Sephiroth, trying to keep his friend still as Zack groaned.

Sephiroth managed to rip himself free from his hold, turning to look at Angeal with an alien look of rage that he had never seen on his friend's face before, which was only made doubly strange by his unnervingly luminescent eyes and pronounced cat-like pupils.

Angeal was sure, in this moment, that they were screwed.

A split second after he had that thought, he heard the sound of rushing air, followed by an abrupt metallic Clang! as something collided sharply with Sephiroth's temple. The general's body jerked with the momentum, falling to the side onto the ground in a crumpled heap.

Stunned, Angeal's eyes jerked up from Sephiroth's (clearly unconscious) body to Cloud Strife, who stood above Sephiroth, panting heavily in an attempt to catch his breath and holding a _shovel_, of all things. The boy looked up from the unconscious general to lock fierce eyes with him, and when he did, Angeal inhaled sharply.

Were the boy's eyes _glowing with Mako_?

They were so bright that Angeal would have sworn the boy was enhanced.

Except...

When he blinked, the blond's eyes were back to normal. The same vibrant shade of cornflower blue as before.

"Holy shit, Cloud!" Zack cried as he pushed himself to his feet, wiping at his bloody nose.

The exclamation seemed to snap Cloud out of the stunned silence and back into action. He threw the shovel to the side of the road, where a wheelbarrow and some other farming tools sat — probably left there by one of the villagers, he surmised — and reached into one of the bigger utility pockets in his uniform to pull out a sturdy pair of reinforced restraints, "The Turk gave me these when I told him it was Code Mako." The blond informed him as Angeal took them from him, "He's prepping the helicopter so he'll be ready to go by the time we get there."

"Good." Angeal approved, mentally dismissing the mako glowing eyes as an optical illusion as he hurriedly snapped them onto the general's hands and feet. "Zack, help me get him on my shoulder."

"Yes, sir!"

Once Sephiroth was safely over his shoulder, Angeal began to march as quickly as he could under the general's weight towards the sound of the helicopter's spinning rotors, with Zack and Cloud on his heels.

Reno was in the pilot seat, headset already on and watching them with raised eyebrows through the helicopter's bulletproof windshield. Zack climbed into the helicopter first to help Angeal transfer Sephiroth to a seat. They buckled him in and made sure his cuffs were secure before taking a seat themselves. Cloud was the last one to get in, taking the last available seat.

As soon as Angeal pulled on his headset and turned it on, Reno's voice filtered in, sounding equal parts curious and uneasy, "What's up with the general, yo?"

"Get us out of here first, we'll talk about it later. Take us back to Midgar. Immediately."

Reno was quiet for a moment, taking in Angeal's urgent tone, before responding with even more evident apprehension, "You got it. Buckle up."

* * *

Genesis' head was pounding.

Headaches were rare for the enhanced. He could count the total number of times he has experienced a headache on one hand, but this one, so far, has been the worst one yet.

It was distracting, made it difficult to focus on the battle he was currently in the midst of. They had been ambushed by Wutainese warriors on their way back to camp. There weren't many but he was in no mood to fight and his men were in an even worse state.

He had just slashed three men down in one swipe when he felt a sharp burning pain in his shoulder. He turned swiftly, spotting several archers across the clearing. His anger lent him the adrenalin needed to ignore his headache and dispatch the rest of the enemy troops.

Grunting softly, he glanced around at his men and sighed in satisfaction when he noticed that all his men were alive and relatively unharmed, albeit visibly exhausted.

"Move out." He ordered. He was met with a tired chorus of 'Sir, yes, sir' as they marched ahead of him in the direction of their camp.

He watched them march away for a moment before he sheathed his sword and reached back, tentatively poking at the arrow lodged in his shoulder. A sharp pain shot through him, making him clench his teeth.

He had to take the arrow out to cast Cure on himself. It would have been foolish of him to attempt it if he was not already enhanced and equipped with a Restore materia, but, lucky for him, an arrow should not be a problem for him.

Taking a deep breath, Genesis took firm grasp of the arrow shaft sticking out of his shoulder and, with one strong yank, he ripped the arrow out. He hissed through clenched teeth as the pain hit him, far more potent than it should have been, squeezing his eyes shut. Something warm and liquid slid beneath his shirt, under his now damaged leather coat. He can already feel the cloth getting soaked and sticking to his skin.

He fumbled with his bangle, quickly activating his Materia and casting Cure 2. He waited for the warm comfort of healing magic to wash over him.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

"What the fuck?" Genesis snarled, confused.

Why wasn't it healing?

He cast it again. Still nothing.

Another attempt garnered him the same results.

Fear suddenly gripped him by the lungs and squeezed, pushing the air out of him and made it difficult to breathe.

_Why wasn't it healing?_

* * *

"I did what?"

Sephiroth was confused.

"I _said_, you lost your shit, sir." Zack repeated bluntly.

"What Zack means to say," Angeal interjected, throwing Zack a reproachful look with arms crossed, "Is that something happened to you in that town. You were in a daze the entire time we were having dinner with Strife's mother and then as soon as we set foot out of town you started fighting us."

Angeal stepped closer to Sephiroth, who was currently seated on the couch in Angeal's quarters, "Seph, you looked ready to kill me at one point."

Bewildered, Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again with a frown as he tried to wade through his hazy memory of their time in Nibelheim.

It was fuzzy, but there was something there, something that was difficult to get ahold of. It felt like trying to catch smoke but the more he chased after it, the more solid it became.

There was complete silence as the others waited for him to collect his thoughts. Angeal stood still before him, trying not to move lest he distract him. Zack sat on the armchair, leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees, watching the general intently. Cloud was standing by the wall, arms crossed and looking slightly anxious.

"There was a voice..." Sephiroth whispered at last, his gaze on the shiny floor but also far away.

"A voice?" Angeal prompted quietly.

"She said she has been waiting for me for a long time. That she was...my mother."

Zack and Cloud exchanged worried glances as Angeal prompted again, "Your mother? What did she want?"

"She..." Sephiroth frowned and his hand rose to run through his hair distractedly, "She wanted us to be a family again. She wanted...a reunion."

The general finally seemed to remember where he was. He blinked and looked up at Angeal, eyes slightly wider than they normally were, reminding him of a time when Sephiroth was much younger, "I'm not entirely sure what happened, my memory has been compromised." He admitted.

"You were being corrupted." Cloud murmured quietly from across the room, so quietly they probably would not have heard him if the room wasn't already so quiet.

Three heads turned to look at him, Zack and Angeal with curiousity and Sephiroth with a deep scowl.

"What do you mean, Cloud?" Zack questioned, sitting up straight in his chair, "Does this have to do with what those stones told you?"

"What stones?" Sephiroth demanded.

Angeal turned back to Sephiroth with a concerned look, "You really don't remember?"

"No." It was halfway between a statement and a question.

"Cloud was using stones to communicate with the Norns. The three fates, apparently." Angeal supplied, "We got some information about the Nords but they also told him something that made him and his mom want to get you out of town ASAP."

Sephiroth absorbed the information for a moment before turning his gaze to the blond trooper, "What did they say?"

"They said," The boy walked closer to stand by Zack's chair with a heavy sigh, "That an evil was corrupting you and that I needed to get you away from the mountain immediately. The Norns don't normally like to interfere directly with human affairs. They sometimes answer questions but not always. It was a surprise that they responded to me at all, but the fact that they saw fit to warn me about you being corrupted must mean that whatever was happening to you was going to be a serious problem."

A tense silence followed.

Until, finally, Sephiroth's shoulders relaxed slightly, a tiny smile playing at his lips, "Then I suppose I should thank these Norns then. I'm not sure I like the idea of being manipulated. And I suppose I should thank you as well for heeding their warning."

Zack snorted and then full out laughed, "You wouldn't thank him if you knew he knocked you out with a shovel!"

"He did what?"

* * *

**A/N: Did you guys catch the Loveless reference in the chapter title? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**Also, just to be clear, this isn't a time travel fic (although I absolutely adore FFVII time travel fics!). Does anyone know what I was referencing when I made Cloud's eyes glow? I'll give you a hint: Final Fantasy VII: LAST ORDER.**

**As always, I would love to know what you guys think! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Thanks for reading **


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